This week Year 2 have taken a trip around the world to learn about how Christmas is celebrated in different countries. We began by discussing how we celebrate Christmas in our own families and if we have any special Christmas traditions. For example, Miss Hamilton explained that on Christmas day her family do not open any presents until after they have shared Christmas lunch together. She also explained that they don’t have a traditional Christmas dinner and sometimes have a BBQ to celebrate!

“I go to church on Christmas day to celebrate Jesus’ birth” Abigail

“I put out a glass of milk, a cookie and a carrot for Santa and his reindeers on Christmas eve” Harry

“Santa comes on Christmas Eve and leaves presents in our stockings.” Olivia

 Do you have any special Christmas traditions?

 

After that, we learnt how Christmas is celebrated in Spain, Mexico, Germany and China. We completed 4 different activities to experience what it might be like to celebrate Christmas in these countries.

Spain

We were shocked to find out that in Spain children receive most of their presents on the 6^th January (Epiphany) instead of on the 25^th December like us in England (Don’t worry Santa still visits Spain on Christmas eve!). The kings deliver their presents on camels (just like Santa and his reindeers) and place them inside of the children’s shoes.  We drew our own shoes filled with presents and placed them outside of our classroom, just like the children in Spain, to prepare for the Kings visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you remember what you drew inside of your shoe?

Mexico

We discovered that in Mexico the children parade the streets with candles, which are painted with figures of Mary and Joseph riding a donkey. The children knock on the doors of their neighbours and sing a song to ask for a room, just as Mary and Joseph did in Bethlehem. Eventually the children will find a house decorated with a nativity scene, which they will be welcomed in to. A party is held for the children. They prepare for the party by decorating their house in red and green flowers. We used card to make our own flowers to decorate our own houses with this Christmas.

Germany

In Germany, children make and decorate St Nicholas cookies. We had a go at designing and decorating our very own St Nicholas cookies. They were delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I have decorated my biscuit with St Nicholas' hat. I'm going to use a black icing pen to draw my design onto my biscuit"  Albie

" Drawing St Nicholas was more difficult with the icing pen than it was with a pencil" Amy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

China
In China Christmas is celebrated very differently to how we celebrate it in England. Instead of giving presents in China the children wrap up apples in brightly coloured wrapping paper. They give these apples to their friends and family as symbol of good luck. We wrapped up our own apples to give to someone who is important to us. They were quite tricky to wrap but we preserved

Which tradition did you enjoy taking part in?